Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.5

The Paradine Case Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 31, 2017

1947’s “The Paradine Case” is a rest stop during an incredibly fertile time in Alfred Hitchcock’s creativity, arriving after “Spellbound,” “Notorious,” and “Lifeboat,” while preceding 1948’s “Rope,” which this picture feels like a test run for. Far from his greatest work, “The Paradine Case” still offers a few premiere Hitchcock moments, attempting to jazz up a murder mystery/courtroom drama with visual control and a few fine performances, working to make something passably meaty out of a dry run of suspicion and obsession (a Hitchcock specialty).

Gregory Peck stars as Keane, a barrister caught up in the case of Paradine (Alida Valli), a woman accused of murdering her husband. He’s quickly overwhelmed by her feminine charms, threatening his relationship with wife Gay (Ann Todd), who is well aware of her spouse’s descent. An adaptation of a novel, “The Paradine Case” provides a host of supporting characters, but attention remains on the three leads, who carry an interesting dynamic, offering more screen intensity with subtle power plays than eventual trial scenes, which last an eternity as Keane manages legal duties and personal attraction to his client.

The Paradine Case Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.33:1 aspect ratio) presentation was exposed to some restorations efforts nearly a decade ago. The results remain compelling in 2017, delivering a satisfactory viewing experience with decent clarity, finding facial particulars throughout, with close-ups holding long enough to grasp thespian subtleties (including Peck's sweaty courtroom appearance near the end of the movie). Grain is heavy, a bit chunky, but still filmic. Delineation is consistent, and whites secure. Source is strong, but speckling is present, and the occasional blip of damage is detected.

The Paradine Case Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is pushed to the limits by the score, which just barely hangs on to basic instrumentation as it emerges loudly, threatening distortive extremes. Dramatic accompaniment is less insistent, achieving moods without issues. Dialogue exchanges are defined to satisfaction, managing accents and intensity well. Group dynamic is maintained. Hiss is present throughout the track.

The Paradine Case Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features film historians Stephen Rebello and Bill Krohn.

• "Hitchcock/Truffaut: Icon Interviews Icon" (12:57) is an audio excerpt from the extended conversations that took place between Alfred Hitchcock and Francois Truffaut, which were accomplished with aid from an interpreter. An overview of script development for "The Paradine Case" is shared, along with candor from Hitchcock about the picture's miscasting, including Jourdan and Peck. Also discussed are technical and stylistic challenges, most not really impressing Truffaut, with Hitchcock failing to wow the younger filmmaker.

• "Conflict of Conscience" (8:36, HD) is a reflection featurette with Peck's two children, Celia and Carey. The siblings provide an animated discussion of "The Paradine Case," though they don't have much first-hand knowledge to offer, detailing memories from their dad about his working relationship with Hitchcock, and the director's combative ways with producer David O. Selznick. The pair also shares an amusing anecdote about Jourdan, who inspired a staring game of sorts with Peck, with the pair refusing to blink during long takes.

• "The Paradine Case: Radio Play" (56:37) is a production for national broadcast starring Joseph Cotton, Alida Valli, and Louis Jourdan. It's sponsored by Lux Toilet Soap, which amusingly undercuts the intensity of the effort.

• "Peter Bogdanovich Interviews Alfred Hitchcock" (15:54) is another audio-only examination of the famous helmer's career. While it essentially repeats information from the Truffaut conversation, Hitchcock goes into greater detail about his process and visual ideas, audibly sucking on a cigar as he explains to Bogdanovich the compromises he had to make while shooting "The Paradine Case." Hitchcock also discusses cinematic ambitions on additional productions.

• Restoration Comparison (1:27, SD) is a 2008 summary of work completed to bring "The Paradine Case" to DVD.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:43, SD) is included.

The Paradine Case Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While Peck and Valli deliver fine work as a lawyer and his enigmatic client, it's Todd who walks away with the movie, communicating the utter, but silent, horror of a wife watching her husband tempted away, unsure how to appropriately defend her marriage. It's a sensational performance, and it's greatly missed once the trial begins. Hitchcock adds some visual flourishes here and there, but it's clear "The Paradine Case" isn't a passion project, with the whole picture losing steam the longer it draws out the case.